Whether you are changing status or transferring your SEVIS record within the U.S., your timeline depends on accurate documentation. We assist with preparing all required materials and work closely with your university’s DSO to ensure everything is verified.
The Form I-20, or Certificate of Eligibility, is the document your university issues to confirm your admission. It also records how your studies will be funded and is linked to your SEVIS record, which tracks your F-1 status.
Before it can be issued, your university needs your admission decision and accepted financial evidence on file. If you are transferring, your current school must also release your SEVIS record first. When an I-20 is delayed, the cause is almost always one specific missing item, not the whole file.
That is where Omar & Co Consulting steps in. We help you coordinate with your Designated School Official (DSO), the person who issues the I-20, identify exactly what is missing, and work to resolve it. We also make every effort to expedite the I-20 issuance process by following up promptly and helping avoid unnecessary delays. Once your I-20 arrives, we carefully review every detail to catch errors before they cause problems.
There is usually one item holding things up. We find it and tell you exactly what to send.
We deal with your university's Designated School Official directly, so you are not left guessing.
Details verified before issue, and the document reviewed with you the day it arrives.
Issued by your university. It proves you are eligible for student status and creates your SEVIS record.
Issued by a U.S. consulate abroad. It gets you to the border and nothing more, and it can expire while you stay here lawfully.
Granted when you enter, or by USCIS if you change status inside the U.S. This is the one you have to maintain.
Reviewing your Form I-20 line by line the moment it arrives is critical. We help you verify your name exactly as it appears in your passport, your date and country of birth, your program and degree level, your program start and end dates, your SEVIS ID and school code, and your signature. Mistakes with names are common. A middle name left off, two surnames merged, or an order reversed can cause complications later, because your institutional and SEVIS records depend entirely on what the I-20 says. Dates carry equal weight. Your program start and end dates dictate your timeline and compliance status within the U.S., so an oversight here can impact you for years. Only your university can issue corrections to an I-20. We carefully review your document with you and help take any discrepancies straight back to your university before your SEVIS fee is paid.
Your application is complete and the university has accepted you.
The university accepts and records proof of funds for your first academic year.
Every detail checked against your passport before the I-20 is issued.
Your DSO issues the I-20 and your SEVIS record is created.
The university decides when it issues your I-20. We make sure nothing on our side holds it up.
